Final arguments in Quebec election shooting trial start Thursday

Police and fireman work at the rear of an auditorium where a gunman shot and killed one person during a PQ victory rally in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL — The Crown and defence in the first-degree murder trial of the man charged in Quebec’s election-night shooting four years ago will begin final arguments tomorrow.

Deliberations are likely to begin later that day to decide the fate of Richard Henry Bain.

He has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including first-degree murder, and is arguing he’s not criminally responsible by way of mental disorder.

The defence has said Bain was probably psychotic due to an undiagnosed bipolar disorder when a lighting technician was killed outside the Parti Quebecois victory party on September 4th, 2012.

The Crown has argued the shooting was premeditated and fuelled by Bain’s anger over the results of the provincial election that saw the PQ take power.

The final witness, toxicologist Catherine Lavallee, told the jury she found no trace of the anti-depressant Cymbalta in Bain’s blood, a conclusion that contradicts the accused’s claim he overdosed on the drug that night.